The Textbook of a Lover - Chapter 61

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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61.
“There’s no time for jokes! I need to get ready for work!”
“Did that sound like a joke? I’m serious.”
It did seem appealing, but… we’ve only been dating for a few weeks.
“Marriage isn’t some child’s game. Would your mother and grandmother even approve?”
“My mother and grandmother would welcome you with open arms.”
Cha Kyung sometimes found himself 200% certain of his family’s blind affection for Seong Do-ah.
“First, I need to get to work, so let me get ready.”
Once Seong Do-ah finished preparing, she gave in to Cha Kyung’s insistence and climbed into his car.
From her seat, she stole glances at his profile as he sat in the driver’s seat.
Even just after waking, there wasn’t a single thing out of place about him—it was unrealistically handsome.
Was this what it felt like to love someone, to be loved?
She was so happy she was almost afraid—like a balloon swelling with joy, ready to burst at any moment.
* * *
The moment she sat down at her desk, drowsiness crashed over her. It wasn’t that she hadn’t slept, but she’d burned through so much energy that exhaustion was catching up.
At the thought of why she was so tired, her face flushed hot, and Seong Do-ah quickly turned her attention to the monitor.
Even as she checked her emails, her eyelids kept drooping.
‘Just five minutes. Just five minutes with my eyes closed.’
About ten minutes later, she heard footsteps and opened her eyes to find Na Hui standing beside her, looking down.
“You seem pretty exhausted.”
Na Hui asked in a spiteful tone.
“I went to bed late.”
“That would explain it.”
Na Hui tossed out the words and returned to her desk just as quickly. Seong Do-ah tried to wake herself with coffee, but it didn’t help.
Eventually, she stood up, thinking she’d splash her face with cold water.
After washing her face with cold water at the sink, the drowsiness finally lifted.
She was heading straight back to her desk when Na Hui walked into the restroom—she must have just arrived.
Seong Do-ah didn’t even acknowledge her and simply passed by, but Na Hui spoke up.
“Take a look at your neck.”
Her neck? Why suddenly?
Not understanding, Seong Do-ah looked in the mirror and brushed her hair aside, revealing vivid red marks along her collarbone.
She quickly tucked her hair back down.
“Looks like you’re in a good phase.”
Na Hui said it mockingly, drying her hands. Seong Do-ah was embarrassed, but she had no reason not to acknowledge it.
“Yes, it’s really good, actually?”
Na Hui’s lips curled into a smile.
“Want some advice?”
“Not particularly.”
Regardless of Seong Do-ah’s answer, Na Hui pressed on.
“Listen anyway—it’s for your sake. Do you know why Kyung-jun left you and came to me?”
What, does she want to brag about how great she is?
“Because you show everything. When you like something, you show it. When you want to see someone, you show it. Right now you look like you’re dying because you like him so much. Men find that attractive, don’t they? Except they don’t. Men feel more competitive about women who run away. Be careful this time—don’t let him get bored and run away.”
“What exactly are you trying to say?”
“That he’ll get bored quickly. You’re too easy. You think showing your feelings will make him like you, but men don’t work that way. They feel more of a competitive urge toward women who play hard to get. This time, be careful he doesn’t get tired and leave.”
Seong Do-ah let out a scoff.
“People tend to find others like themselves, right? You’re clearly drawn to men who only attract you when you hold back and play that push-pull dynamic—but I’m not like that.”
Na Hui’s pupils trembled slightly.
“I like someone who’s there for me without all that game-playing, and that’s the kind of person I’ll find. So you don’t need to worry about me. It’s pointless.”
Even as she said it, Na Hui’s words bothered her.
‘Not playing games makes him bored…’
Seong Do-ah knew she wasn’t good at that push-pull dynamic.
When she liked something, she showed it plainly. She wasn’t good at hiding, and she never wanted to hide.
But still.
‘What if Cha Kyung is the same…’
Seong Do-ah worried for a moment, then immediately shook her head.
Comparing Cha Kyung to Kyung-jun itself would be a grave insult to him.
* * *
— What would you like to do today? Anywhere you want to go?
Saturday morning, Seong Do-ah lay in bed with her phone to her ear, staring up at the ceiling as she answered.
“I’m not sure… I don’t really have anything in mind.”
This was the first day of their agreement to go on a date whenever the weekend had no other plans.
Just as she was about to suggest going somewhere Cha Kyung liked, something she’d forgotten suddenly came back to her.
“The refrigerator!”
— What?
She’d cleaned out the refrigerator the moment she got home yesterday. She normally only kept what she’d actually eat, but with the cleaning, it had been completely emptied.
“Cha Kyung, I think something came up and I won’t be able to meet today.”
— What came up suddenly?
“I need to go grocery shopping. The refrigerator is completely empty.”
— Do you really have to go today?
“Yes. Otherwise I’ll be eating plain rice all week.”
There was a brief silence on the other end of the line, then Cha Kyung spoke.
— Then I’ll go too.
“What?”
— You’ll need help, won’t you?
“Hey, young master of a conglomerate. Have you ever been to a mart? A regular mart, not a department store. A. M-a-r-t.”
A short, incredulous laugh escaped from the other end.
— What do you take me for? Hyunsin Group has a major retail distribution subsidiary.
“Working there and shopping there are two different things.”
— I’ll just be your porter. Don’t worry.
“I’m not confident you’ll even be a decent porter.”
He was silent for a moment, then replied in a languid voice.
— You’ve already seen my bare body. Say something like that?
Heat crept up Seong Do-ah’s face all the way to her ears.
Eventually, she bounced on the bed, buried her face in a pillow, and spoke in a defeated tone.
“Fine, fine! Just come! Carry lots of things!”
Even after hanging up, her ears burned.
Her reflection in the mirror was as red as a boiled octopus. Seong Do-ah went to wash her face again.
* * *
Cha Kyung standing in front of the neighborhood mart was nothing short of an ecological disaster.
A species that had no business existing in this ecosystem was standing right there.
His thin knit sweater, cotton pants, and light coat that fell to his ankles made passersby turn their heads even though no brand names were visible.
Clearly comfortable clothing, yet it looked anything but inexpensive.
Seong Do-ah pulled Cha Kyung inside the mart.
“You push the cart this way.”
“I know.”
If he knew, why was he pushing it the wrong direction? Seong Do-ah swallowed a sigh and took the cart from him.
When they reached the vegetable section, Seong Do-ah turned to Cha Kyung.
“Could you grab me a plastic bag from over there?”
Cha Kyung pulled at the roll of plastic bags hanging from the post. But the plastic didn’t end—it kept spilling out like endless laundry line.
“Whoa!”
Just as the plastic bag touched the floor, Seong Do-ah rushed over and stopped him.
Seong Do-ah rewound the plastic he’d unraveled as she spoke.
“I asked for one bag, and you brought out a whole box. I guess bringing a porter was worth it after all.”
“It’s my first time.”
“At the mart?”
“With plastic bags.”
For a senior executive of Hyunsin Group, this was probably the first time he’d ever torn open a plastic bag himself. It was absurd, yet somehow endearing.
As Seong Do-ah continued shopping, she stopped at the fruit section.
“Hmm…”
Her hand hovered over the mangoes before she grabbed only a bag of imperfect apples and put it in the cart.
She looked carefully at strawberries and cherries but didn’t add them to the cart.
While Cha Kyung watched this, he returned to the fruit stand as soon as Seong Do-ah’s attention turned to the instant noodles section.
Mangoes, strawberries, and cherries—everything Seong Do-ah hadn’t picked up—he placed in the cart and covered them with an onion bag.
When they arrived at the register and Seong Do-ah began unpacking, she spotted strange items and raised her voice.
“Wait, when did you put these in? Mangoes? Strawberries? Cherries too!”
As Cha Kyung played innocent, the cashier had already scanned everything and the total appeared on the register screen.
“Whoa, what’s this amount…! No, I’m paying for this. I saw them.”
Beep.
Just as Seong Do-ah pulled out her card, Cha Kyung’s card went down on the terminal first and the payment was already complete.
“Cha Kyung!”
“Let’s go. There’s a line behind us.”
Seong Do-ah was dragged out of the mart.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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